


tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun

by wearealltalesintheend



Series: Jason Todd Birhday Week 2018 [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, and bruce's bullshit, jason is done with gotham
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 05:02:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15678555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wearealltalesintheend/pseuds/wearealltalesintheend
Summary: This is why he needs change.He’s done being other people’s projects, be it Bruce, Talia, or the Joker.“It looks good,” Roy offers, eyeing his new uniform, and Jason is thankful, “of course, if you ever think about wearing a helmet again, I’d do a way better job.”“A better job than genius Bizarro?”“Hell yeah,” he says haughtily, “I can think of at least six things to improve, and that’s just here, off the top of my head.”or, alternatively, Jason is done with the Bats, and leaving everything behind is both harder and easier than it sounds.Jason Todd's Birthday Week: Day 6 - One New Costume/ Alias





	tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun

“Are you sure about this, Jaybird?”

 

Roy asks for the upteenth time, and don’t get him wrong, it  _ is _ annoying, but Jason kind of understands the concern, where it’s coming from. And besides, he’s familiar with this particular brand of irritating.

 

He kind of missed it, too, if he’s being honest.

 

“Yes, I am,” Jason says patiently, fiddling with the zipper of his jacket. The leather feels different on the kevlar, but it’s not bad, if anything, it feels safer. “And I will still be sure when you ask again in five minutes.”

 

“Sorry, sorry,” Roy raises his hands in a placating gesture, smiling crookedly, “this just feels like a big deal. I wanna make sure ya know what you’re doing.”

 

“It  _ is _ a big deal,” he concedes, nodding. Jason turns to look at his friend. Roy probably thinks he’s speaking from experience, and to be fair, he does understand the need to change, to distance yourself from the past. 

 

But it’s not the same, Jason’s situation. He needs this, needs to leave it all behind, because he feels he might go insane if he doesn’t. “And I know what I’m doing. Trust me, relax.”

 

“Yeah, nothing good ever started with you saying that,” Roy snorts, shaking his head. He pauses, looking at Jason thoughtfully, “but seriously. I feel like we need to address this–”

 

“Oh no, we definitely don’t–”

 

“We do,” Roy says sternly, picking up Jason’s Red Hood helmet from where it lays discarded on the bed. “Wearing this, calling yourself that, it doesn’t make you anything like Duella. It never did.”

 

Jason sighs, taking it from his hands. This one had been the latest model, upgraded by Bizarro. It’s lighter than the ones he used to wear, probably due to a lack of explosives woven in the metal. It still feels immeasurably heavy. He throws is back on the bed. “Doesn’t it? It may not be his rotting skin, but it’s still his name.”  _ It’s still an obsession _ .

 

“There are so many differences,” Roy says, sounding so sure, it makes his heart ache. “I could make you a list if you want, with bullet points and all. But the main thing is: you’re good, Jason.”

 

_ A lot of people might fight you on that, _ he thinks but doesn’t say. Roy has a way of always finding silver linings, even in Jason’s fuck ups. Even in Jason. He wants to be the kind of person Roy thinks he is, he wants to be the kind of person  _ he  _ thinks he could be. 

 

Jason wants to be himself, for once. 

 

And he can’t do that in Gotham. Everything is too heavy with memories and ghosts and expectations. 

 

This is why he needs change.

 

He’s done being other people’s projects, be it Bruce, Talia, or the Joker.

 

“It looks good,” Roy offers, eyeing his new uniform, and Jason is thankful, “of course, if you ever think about wearing a helmet again, I’d do a way better job.”

 

“A better job than genius Bizarro?”

 

“Hell yeah,” he says haughtily, “I can think of at least six things to improve, and that’s just here, off the top of my head.”

 

“Six impossible things before breakfast?” Jason laughs quietly. Yeah, he missed Roy.

 

“Well, it’s almost lunch time, so,” he shrugs, grinning. This is one of his safehouses in New York, and Jason can hear the sounds of traffic outside. Roy winces at a particularly loud screeching of tires. “This is definitely something I’m not gonna miss.”

 

Jason hums in agreement. Looking back to the mirror, he stares at his reflection. The black domino mask is a familiar sight, comforting, and Jason is glad he decided to keep it along with the kevlar body armor. Trading his old jacket for the black leather one is an easy transition, and more about rebranding than truly a need to change that particular item.

 

The main thing is the lack of a bat on his chest.

 

It feels final.

 

It feels new.

 

It feels good.

 

It almost feels free.

 

It’s as if a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders. Shrugging off Batman and all that it entailed, leaving behind the resentments, the pain, the false hopes. It feels like moving on.

 

“You okay?” Roy moves behind him, joining him in front of the stained mirror. His eyes are brimming with worry, and what could be sadness, “spaced out a little, there.”

 

Shaking himself out of his thoughts is like swimming through molasses, and Jason needs a minute to gather himself. “No, yeah, I’m cool. D’you think the leather is too much?”

 

Roy takes a step back, regarding him thoughtfully. “Nah, but we’ll have to see how it works in a real fight. Maybe a synthetic substitute?”

 

“Maybe,” Jason agrees, tilting his head. “But you’re not making it your new project.”

 

“Not to worry, I’m more interested in the taser thing in your armor.”

 

“Roy, I swear to god, stay away from my things.”

 

“You are no fun sometimes,” Roy says, grinning. “But you’ll come around.”

 

Sadly, he probably will. God knows Roy is like a dog with a bone, and Jason is unfortunately easy to sway when it comes to his ridiculous projects. A lot of his helmets are proof of that, a lot of explosions, too. 

 

“So, have you decided on a new name yet?” Roy asks, humming and poking around the jacket, “we could make a list of possible candidates. And then you choose from there.”

 

“What’s it with you and lists now?” Jason bats his hands away, stepping away from the mirror to look for his duffel bag. “But I haven’t yet. I’m not too worried about that.”

 

“Of course not,” Roy agrees, sagely. He drops down on the bed, ignoring Jason’s glare when the helmet bounced and fell off to the floor, and refusing to help looking for the damn bag. “Try under the bed? Or in the bathroom?”

 

As Jason opens his mouth to tell him exactly where he could shove his suggestions if he weren’t gonna help, the door is swung open and Artemis steps in with little hesitation. She pauses, taking in the scene, then Jason, and snorts. “This is what is taking so long?”

 

He straightens up from where he had been trying to peer under the bed, feeling his cheeks warm. “Can’t find my duffel bag. Have you seen it?”

 

“Yes,” she raises one eyebrow, crossing her arms, “you told Bizarro he could load it on the car half an hour ago.”

 

“Oh,” Jason pauses, blinks, dusts himself off, “yeah, that makes sense. We’re good to go, then.”

 

“Hurry up, the plane leaves in an hour,” Artemis shakes her head, and her lips twitch in a smile, “but nice jacket, Jason.”

 

The door closes, but he still calls out, “that was a compliment, you know! Told you, you’re getting soft!”

 

There is a shouted response, lost to the loud New York City traffic. Although the words were impossible to make out, the tone had been clear enough, and Roy snickers, slowly dragging himself out of bed. “I think she still doesn’t like me very much.”

 

“Probably,” Jason shrugs, looking around the room one last time and checking if he hadn’t forgotten anything, “but she finds everyone annoying at first. Give it time and she’ll come around. Especially because Bizarro loves you and she has a soft spot for the big guy.”

 

“I mean, how can anyone not?” Roy swings his own backpack over his shoulder and comes to stand at his side,“now come on, it’s time to go. No more Bats.”

 

“No more Bats,” he echoes, glancing at the discarded helmet on the bed, then at his blank chest reflected on the mirror “a clean slate.”

 

“Ready?” Roy bumps him with his shoulder, smiling encouragingly.

 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

Jason takes a deep breath. New beginnings and all that. He should probably feel more nervous, but Roy is grinning, and it’s hard not to grin back. Especially with the car impatiently honking outside that he knows has Artemis behind the wheel and Bizarro’s gleeful claim of shotgun for infinity.

 

Yeah, Jason likes this, new beginnings and all that.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hey you made it! if you liked it, maybe leave a kudo or a comment? Those seriously make my day!
> 
> or, you can come talk to me on [my tumblr](http://wearealltalesintheend.tumblr.com/)
> 
> and hey? thanks.


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